Dreams Of The Past
by Cu-Curee
Summary: Dinobot dreams of his life before the beast wars.


**Dreams Of The Past**

Notes:_I don't own the Beast Warriors. Wish I did. I do own DieCast, SkyNight and Rockbiter though. If you want to use 'em ask._

--

A young soldier stopped and saluted him as he walked past, his face in a perpetual scowl. He did nod at the recruit, however. Every new addition was welcome to his troops, after all. "Commander?" a voice said behind him.

He turned around to see his lieutenant running up to him. "What do you want?" he snarled. The young soldier took off rather quickly, not wanting to be around; he might be given something to do after all.

The red-and-gold Predacon handed him a report. He nodded and read it. "Oh, this is good, DieCast, very good," he told him, a cold smile crossing his face. "Very good indeed. Bring this to Commander Rockbiter immediately. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" DieCast said and he ran off.

Dinobot grinned to himself. The reinforcements he had requested were coming after all, _and_it seemed that the strike force he sent in yesterday had done much more damage then originally calculated. It was a good day to be a Predacon warrior. He would oversee the reinforcements getting settled, of course, and tomorrow he would lead them into battle. No hiding behind rank and desk for _this_officer. No, his place was on the battle field. True, he was an officer, but he had gotten there the old fashioned way, brutally. Commanders had forced the best out of him. Pain, sleepless nights, forced starvation, target practice (both as the shooter and the target), and death, all were his constant companions as he rose up in ranks, mainly by challenging and killing his commanders. Now he was the one watching his back, as well as eyeing his commander's stripes, and he couldn't be happier. They still kept him on the battlefield, where he belonged, even though many thought that a high ranking officer shouldn't be risking himself.

He remembered being a bit of a joke for a while, being named for an Autobot team, the Dinobots, but he had shown them all rather rapidly. Shown some of them by the point of his sword, and the rest quickly came to respect him when they saw what he could do in battle. Born to fight, entering the Predacon army with natural skills that, though most never admited it, downright terrified his superiors, and when he was in full battle rage, filled with battle lust, nothing could get in his way.

"_Battle lust_," even the phrase made him shiver pleasurably, both with the idea of combat and of more enticing things, with all his power and rank he never lacked for a bed companion when he wanted one. He allowed a growl to escape his lips; perhaps he would ask his female counterpart to spend the night with him tonight, with all the usual precautions taken. He had no intention of being offed, especially during sex. He pulled his mind away from that thought as he went off to greet the reinforcements.

He awoke the next morning with SkyNight beside him, his pistol under his pillow, and his desire sated. He extracted himself from her arms and got himself cleaned up. As he left his private cleaning faculties, SkyNight was getting up. "Shower is all yours. I have to get my troops up and headed out before sun up," he told her. They were not bonded. Hells, they weren't even what you'd call lovers; just bedfellows.

"Good hunting," she said as he left.

He nodded and was gone. He was already fully energized when his troops entered the mess hall. Laughter filled the hall as they bragged about the kills they'd make, or the kills their comrades _wouldn't_ make. Normally, he rarely got dragged into the brag fest, but he allowed himself to be so this time. He couldn't know that this would be the last thing to go right for most of that day.

(--)

"Lieutenant!" he barked into his comm unit. "Just what the slagging fuck is going on here?"

How had he gotten into this mess? The troops had gotten to their ambush point, with more resistance the expected. Even though it was easily dispatched, it caused him precious time. When they had gotten to the ambush point the shelling had started almost at once. A full quarter of his troops were now dead and the rest were pinned down by overwhelming fire power and bombardment.

"Sir. I don't know sir!" DieCast yelled over his comm. "All our intel states that this place isn't heavely fortified!"

"If this is HQ's idea of an unfortified base I'd really hate to see a heavily-fortified one!" Dinobot snarled. This was an important mission. He _had_to take this base. It was a strategically-sound location for troop movement and regrouping. If he lost this fight, the Predacon troops of this region would need to march through enemy territory to get to the next major base. He watched as a group of Predacons nearby were blown away, and he had to duck to avoid being pelted with their parts. Grabbing his sword and rotary shield from sub-space he yelled into his comm unit again. "DieCast! Have all remaining troops give me cover fire, but keep them as far away from the shelling as you can!"

"Sir? What are you doing?" DieCast yelled back over the explosions.

"Something really stupid!" Dinobot called back with a grin on his lips. He allowed his rage, which he had kept barely under wraps, to boil over, and he charged towards the artillery.

"What the hell is he doing?" a young soldier asked DieCast.

"What he does best. _Kill._All right! Everyone, FIRE!" DieCast yelled over his comm unit.

And the troops did. Laser blasts of all types, missiles, rockets, you name it, all went pelting at the artillery as one lone Predacon charged up. Dinobot grinned an almost insane grin as he dodged enemy shells and weapons fire from his own troops. With his troops distracting the shellers he made it up to the first line of artillery units. Killing the Maximal manning the closest one, he then turned it on the other Maximals and fired, fired until the first line was gone, fired until the weapon was dry.

Then he felt the heat of laser-fire on his body. He turned and looked at the Maximal that had fired on him and grinned his insane grin. All the blast had done was enrage him more, and the last thing the Maximal knew was pain as a sword, made for shearing sparks, pierced his body. He laughed, he ROARED as he charged the next line. The foolish Maximals had actually left the artillery cannons to fight him.

He laughed again and yelled into his comm unit. "DieCast! Bring the troops up. No prisoners, and no mercy!" He didn't even wait for an acknowledgement. He just kept fighting. His chest armor was now very damaged as he heard his troops coming up, so he simply ripped it off. If he had to fight naked he would! Hells, one commander made him do so, some years ago. Death was at his side for what seemed, simultaneously, like hours and seconds. He took shots that caused Death to look at him, but he simply flipped Death off, told him where he could stick it, where he could go, and fought on, heeding neither injury, nor pain, nor people. If it wore a Maximal symbol it died. Male or female, it died. Finally, he saw the base that he was supposed to be taking. As his remaining troops caught up to him he bellowed, "Now Predacons, let us show them what we are made of! We are Predacon! War is our bread! Pain is our water! Death is our comrade! Conquest is our destiny! And Victory is our LIFE!"

His troops let out a bellowing war cry in return, and to a bot charged the base. Part of HQ's intel seemed to be accurate anyway, the base itself was, in fact, poorly defended and very undermanned. Dinobot howled as he and his troops killed the last of the Maximals, and his troops answered his battle howl of victory. He turned to his troops, covered with mech-fluid, both his and his enemy's, he grinned at them. They had won.

He started bringing his troops to order. Those troops who were most badly damaged were put into the CR chambers, those who still needed repairs were either repaired by their fellows or themselves. As he walked around his new base, he smiled. Dispite losing almost half his troops, he had won! The base was theirs! He could almost _feel_ the promotion that this would bring.

He then snorted. Rockbiter would soon die at his hand, either way. Dinobot picked some metal parts out of his sword so it spun freely. But that would have to wait, now he had to fortify this base properly. More troops were on their way and he had to be ready to recieve them. They would be here in a few hours, more then enough time to use the CR chamber or... He paused in his musings and licked his lips. There _was_that one female just under DieCast that had fought bravely and, despite her small size, had done more damage then many of her male counterparts. He gave a low chuckle and went off to find her.

He had just finished with the female, who had proven to be very vigorous, and was enjoying the feel of yet another conquest for the day when DieCast came over his comm unit. "Sir? Hate to inturpt you but the reinforcements are here, sir," DieCast said.

"Very well, I shall be there momentarily. Dinobot out." He then got out of bed, told the female to re-armor and to be ready for inspection with the rest of the troops in one standard hour. He re-armored himself and left to go give orders to these reinforcements. That night, after the base had been repaired, watches set up, and some automatic defences put up, Dinobot's troops, and Dinobot himself, were in the mess hall drinking some very high grade energon. Drinking toasts to each other, to the honored dead, and most of all, the troops were drinking to their leader Dinobot, who had single-handedly won the battle for them. Raunchy singing, drinking games, arm wrestling (the kind with daggers that the loser's hand gets impaled on), and in some cases, _really_dumb dares were going on long into the night. Dinobot grinned to himself as he watched his troops. These were _his_ troops, this was _his_base, and soon Rockbiter would know it too, just before he felt the blades of Dinobot's sword pierce his chassie and his spark. DieCast would take over what was his job now of course. DieCast was a worthy warrior and more to the point, Dinobot trusted him. Not something often heard in the Predacon armies. Hells, he might almost call him a friend.

He awoke the next morning very hung over. He looked around for a moment and saw two females, one on either side of him. The memories of the night started to come to him and he grinned. He got cleaned up and told the females that he wanted them to head back to their barracks to be ready for the day. They saluted and left. "DieCast," he said into his comm unit. "You alive?"

"Yes, sir," DieCast replied softly.

"Wish you weren't?" Dinobot said with a chuckle. His head told him not to do that again.

"Yes, sir," DieCast said again.

"How drunk did you get last night, anyway?" Dinobot asked as he re-armored.

"I think I still am, sir," DieCast said.

Dinobot heard the sound of someone laughing in the background. "Didn't spend the night alone either I take it."

"No, sir," DieCast said, Dinobot could hear the grin in his voice.

"Well, get your mind out of your groin armor and get ready for troop inspection. If I'm not mistaken, Commander Rockbiter will be pulling a 'surprise' inspection as well today," Dinobot gave a humorless laugh despite his hangover. "Just in time to give the report to the generals. Let's not allow him to take our glory, Lieutenant."

"I read you sir, DieCast out," DieCast said.

Dinobot sighed and thought. He had to plan the timing of his challenge just right. It had to be fair combat, his honor wouldn't allow anything less. This would be his finest moment, when he called the generals and told them of his victory. But first Rockbiter would have to die. This thought swam in his head all morning as he inspected his troops. Today, none would dare to challenge him, for he was the reason most of them were still alive.

As he walked the halls of the former Maximal base he received a comm call, "Dinobot here," he said.

"Sir, you were right. Commander Rockbiter is on his way, to 'inspect and oversee' the troops he said," DieCast told him.

"I knew it. 'Inspect and oversee' my tailpipe. He plans to take over _my _troops! No!" Dinobot punched the wall so hard it dented and cracked, his entire body shaking with rage. He forced himself to calm down. "Tell him I shall have the troops ready for his inspection when he arrives. Dinobot out." He then went to clean himself up and polish his armor and sword.

A few hours later Commander Rockbiter, a beefy, dull gray Predacon, entered the base. Dinobot stood at the entrance awaiting him. "Sir!" Dinobot said standing at full attention.

"At ease, Troop Commander," Rockbiter said and Dinobot did so. "So, what is the status of the base?"

"Fully under Predacon command, Sir. I've set up the automated defenses and the long-range scanners are fully operational," Dinobot said. Privately he was seething with anger at Rockbiter's smile. He could _feel _Rockbiter's contempt for him. However, he didn't allow his feelings on the subject come to fore of his mind.

"Very good, Troop Commander Dinobot," Rockbiter said with a casual wave of his hand. "We need to discuss our next move from here, and of course, report to the generals."

"Of course, sir," Dinobot said, barely containing his rage.

One hour later Rockbiter was going over the troops. "Very nice, Dinobot, very nice indeed. You have done well. You are to be commended. In fact, I shall note it when I contact the generals."

"Thank you, sir," Dinobot said. He bit down hard on his tongue when Rockbiter turned away to look at the troops, bit down so hard he felt mech-blood run down his throat. He had to wait. Wait until Rockbiter tried to take over the troops. _His_troops! But he had to wait, and, knowing Rockbiter, it wouldn't be a long wait.

"This is a fine new base for us, but I shall take over from here," Rockbiter said with a sneer. "You will be heading out tomorrow, back to Main Base. Your _talents_ will not be needed here."

Dinobot grinned. This was _exactly _what he had been waiting for. "I think not," Dinobot said darkly. "You see, these are _my_ troops, this is _my_ base, and this _victory_is MINE! I hear-by challenge you to combat. The winner will live, and the looser shall die." Dinobot could feel his rage building up as he waited for the response.

Rockbiter sighed and pulled out his gun. "Very well, it's a shame to loose such a valuable warrior but..."

"Oh, shut up and fight," Dinobot said, tired of Rockbiter's voice.

Rockbiter started it with several well placed shots. Which would have hit, had Dinobot still been there. Dinobot knew that Rockbiter was an expert marksmen, but if you got close enough that ability counted for not. And Dinobot was _built _for close combat. He landed next to Rockbiter and, with an open hand, sent the beefy Pred flying into the wall. "You always underestimated my strength and speed," Dinobot said as he hefted Rockbiter up over his head and threw him into the opposite wall. Dinobot then took a few running steps and launched himself into a flip which carried him over to his opponent. As he landed, foot aimed at Rockbiter's head, the beefy grey pred rolled away. He then got to his feet and aimed a punch at Dinobot. Dinobot grinned evilly at him as he caught Rockbiter's fist. "Big mistake." Dinobot began to crush Rockbiter's fist with his one hand. Without effort, he pushed the large Predacon to one knee, then to both knees. The troops collectively flinched as they heard Rockbiter's hand crunch into nothing more then a mesh of broken metal and mech-blood. Dinobot then placed a hard kick into Rockbiter's chest. The kick was so hard that Rockbiter went flying, minus his hand and part of his fore-arm. Dinobot calmly walked over to his fallen opponent. "You were hardly worth the effort," Dinobot sneered. He wasn't even breathing hard. "Now you die." And with that Dinobot thrust his sword, Spark Shearer, into Rockbiter's chest, right though his spark. Dinobot watched calmly as Rockbiter died there. He then yanked his sword out and dispassionately cleaned Rockbiter's mech-blood, and parts of his body, off his sword.

He then raised his sword above his head. "I am now High Commander of this region! Any one who beleves they can take me, may challenge me now!"

To a bot, no one even moved. Then DieCast said, "Three cheers for High Commander Dinobot!" The cheers of the troops nearly took off the roof.

Dinobot smiled at his troops. He raised a fist into the air. "TO THE GLORY OF THE PREDACONS!" he bellowed. If the cheers had been loud before it was nothing to the cries that followed. He waited for the cheers to dissapate, then said, "Before we break out the high grade, I must contact the generals and tell them of our victory." And with that he left. In the comm room he activated the link and tuned it to the generals frequency. "This is High Commander Dinobot to the Tripredicus Counsel."

A darkened figured appeared. "Where is Rockbiter?"

"Dead. At my hands," Dinobot said to the figure.

"Very well. Report."

"The Zian quarter is completely in Predacon hands. All Maximals in this region are dead," Dinobot said grinning.

"Too little too late, I'm afraid, High Commander," the darkened figure said sadly.

"What?! What do you mean sir?" Dinobot asked stunned.

"It's over. We've lost. The home front was lost early this morning."

"WHAT? HOW?"

"Not enough energon to sustain the troops and too many fucking Maximals. We signed the 'piece treaty' less then on hour ago. It is over."

"NO!" Dinobot howled in rage. He punched the wall so hard he broke it, _and_ his hand.

"I'm afraid so, High Commander."

"We shall keep up the fight. I shall pull..."

"No," the figure said. "It. Is. Over. Pull all troops back to home base ASAP. That is an order!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Dinobot said and the transmission died. Sighing he contacted the main base. "High Commander Dinobot to Troop Commander SkyNight."

"SkyNight here. High Commander huh?" she asked.

"Yes, although it means nothing now," Dinobot told her.

"What? What do you mean?" she asked.

"We've lost the home front. It's over. We've lost the war," Dinobot said sadly.

"No! No way sir!" she exclaimed.

"I'm afraid so. Our orders are to head back to Home Base. Orders from the generals," Dinobot told her.

"Very well. See you back at Megatronia Two." With that she clicked out.

Dinobot left the comm room and headed to find his troops. He found them, predictably, in the mess hall. "Troops!" he called out. "You might as well put it away. I just received orders from the generals. We're to head back to Home Base. ASAP." He hung his head. "The Predacons have lost."

There was a general out cry of disbelef. "Sir?" DieCast said.

"We didn't have the fuel or numbers to hold out. The loss of MetalCity was a harder blow then we surmized, I guess. The 'peace treaty' has been signed by the generals. It's over," Dinobot said with a heavy heart.

The march back to Megatronia Two was a long one. And silent. After three weeks of half-hearted marching they came across, not one but two, Maximal battalions. "Hold Preds. You're coming with us."

"I am High Commander of this battallion, by what right should we go with you?" Dinobot said. DieCast was at his side, as was SkyNight and her lieutenent, a bot whose name he couldn't remember.

"The Pax Cybertronia and the Predacon alliance, gives us that right _Pred_," the leader said.

"Very well," Dinobot told him. Then he gave what would be his final orders to these, or any, troops. "Troops stand down, offer no resistance. We are their prisoners." He felt emotion fill his very spark, but he didn't let it show. They had lost.

Several days later the commanders were sent to trial. Trial, it was no trial. Just a way to show the civilians that there were no "Predacon killing machines" out there ready to kill them in their beds. Half of the commanders of the Predacon troops were given over to the Maximals. "To placate them." The generals said. Amongst them was DieCast.

A month later Dinobot, having pulled every favor he had ever gotten, managed to be able to visit with DieCast. "So, how's the cushy prison stay?" Dinobot asked looking through the re-enforced Diamond Glass wall. "Hells we could do fifty years in this place standing on our heads." He grinned.

DieCast looked down and away. "That's not the fate in store for us, Sir," he said.

"What is it then? Life?" Dinobot asked.

The look DieCast gave him made him shudder. "Re-format, re-program."

"No." The word was a whisper.

I'm afraid so Sir. They've already removed most of my training, my battle computer, every thing that made me a warrior. It' gone Sir."

"No!" Dinobot cried out. "I won't allow it to happen. I swear on my honor that I shall get you out of there!"

"No Sir! Don't! I don't want you to end up like me. Please sir..." DieCast said. An almost pleading look creeping into his optics.

"DieCast you were the only Predacon I ever viewed as a friend. I shall _not _allow this to happen to you." DieCast's optics seemed to cry out to him. A cry of help, and Dinobot would answer it. Somehow.

Dinobot staged a coup. Calling anyone who would follow him to fight. A part of him hoped that he would be able to actually regain control, but mostly he knew that, that wouldn't happen. It was ended inside a month. Dinobot was sent to the same maximum security prison that DieCast was in. For weeks he sat there, studying the place. The reformation chamber was near by. The bars were Cybertonium core, tyronium shell, and for good measure, diamond glass coating. All made to hold strong Predacon warriors like him. Then he heard what he needed to hear. DieCast was being brought to the main reformation chamber for his final re-programing. All his weapons were gone or off-line but he still had his strength. He moved to the back of his cell and rammed it with his shoulder.

"What are ya doing man?" one of the other prisoners asked.

"What does it look like. I'm getting out of here," Dinobot said just before he took another running charge at the bars. Again and again he rammed it. By now the entire block was screaming his name. He felt his shoulder shatter, but he expected it. He then turned to using his other shoulder. His sword arm, his stronger arm. Again and again he hit it and the walls around the bars began to break. Letting loose a war bellow, allowing his rage at all that had happened come to the fore, he let loose a furious back kick that caused the bars to fly across the large hall and smack the bars on the other side of the room with a tremendous CLANG! The guards were there trying to stop him as he heard the reformator powering up. He was running out of time!

"No! You slagging Maximals!" he heard DieCast yell.

"Get off me!" Dinobot yelled. He tried to fight his way out but there were too many. Far too many. Many died at his hand but more just seemed to keep coming. He kicked, punched, bit his way to the door. Then he heard DieCast scream. The power flickered in the room. "DIECAST!" he bellowed. His battle rage took over. He didn't hear the other prisoners cheering him on, didn't feel the stunners being shoved into his body to try to stop him. Suddenly it all went dark and he knew no more.

When he awoke he found himself not in a Maximal cell, but a Predacon one. A room with a hole to vent waste in, should your body require it, and a door thicker then the length of his body. His shoulder was still shattered and he could now feel the pain of what he had done. He waited. How long he waited he didn't know, it might have been weeks, till the door opened and a guard said, "Come with me."

Dinobot was lead to another room. His weapons and his ceremonial armor was waiting for him. Donning it as best he could, he asked, "What happened?"

"Beats me. I'm just supposed to make sure you get where you're going," the guard said. "So is it true? Did you really kill three quarters of the guards in your cell? All to try to rescue your comrade?"

Dinobot thought about it for a moment. "Yesssss," he hissed.

"Good. Fucking Maxies deserved it. Now come with me."

Dinobot did. He found himself in a tribunal room. The silhouettes of the generals were standing over him. He knelt. "Sirs," he said.

"Rise," one said. Dinobot did so. "We pulled a lot of strings to get you out of there. You disobeyed a direct order."

Another said, "You are hear by stripped of your rank," a large hand pulled his stripes off his armor. "and your armor," he was knocked to his knees and his armor stripped from his body roughly. "You are no longer part of the Predacon army." Dinobot felt the sorrow well inside him but he would not show it.

The third general said, "You disgrace us with your presence. Leave and never show yourself again."

Dinobot got to his feet, turned on his heel and walked out of the room. He wasn't ten feet out of the building when he was jumped and beaten. The final insult of his dishonor given by the generals.

The next years came as a blur. Years of being a sell sword flew by. Megatron made his roundup. He joined. He helped steal the Golden Disk. They crashed... All this started to blend together in the dream. DieCast's face super-imposed over it all. Those optics asking for help. "I failed," Dinobot said. The sound of DieCast's screams covered all.

Dinobot awoke screaming in defience. He got off his bed and walked out of room in the Axalon. "Dinobot?" Cheetor asked. "Are you okay?"

Dinobot snarled. "Fine, feline."

"You were screaming so loud you woke me up," he said with a yawn.

"Go back to your room," was all Dinobot said, as he transformed and left. He exited the Axalon and walked to edge of the waterfall. Looking over it up to the sky of this strange world where two moons were glowing softly, he could almost see DieCast's haunting face. It seemed to be smiling, as if to say, "Thank you for trying. I forgive you." And Dinobot felt the sorrow of the years well within him. He transformed briefly and gave a parade salute to his gone friend, and his sorrow got the better of him. He felt a tear run down his face. He transformed back to beast mode and, despite his best efforts, he couldn't keep the tears away any longer. He curled up there and wept into his hands till sleep re-took him.

--

To be continued...

Notes: Okay maybe a bit of OOC for Dinobot there at the end. This is the first finished fic I've done in a while. Please R/R! Story continues in... Lives Of The Present.


End file.
